My Sugar Free Caramel Recipe
Lately I’ve been craving caramel and all it’s tasty combinations like coffee, cheesecake and snickers. LOVE snickers, that’ll hopefully be another recipe down the line! I’ve tried a few of the sugar free brands that have caramel syrup and it just doesn’t do it for me. So I jumped into the kitchen and got going on my very own sugar free caramel recipe.
For those who haven’t made homemade caramel, it can be a bit intimidating, but it’s honestly not too hard. It only requires a good eye and some patience. The real secret to caramel, is all in the color before pouring in the cream.
It’s best if you watch out for that brown, amber-colored look while making sure it doesn’t go much further than that and burn.
MAKE IT AT HOME
- Sweetener – Swerve Sweetener
Sugar Free Caramel Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 cups granulated sweetener like erythritol
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla or caramel extract
- 1 cup heavy cream
- salt to taste
Instructions
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In a medium saucepan, add sweetener and water over medium-high heat whisking until sweetener is dissolved.
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Once mixture reaches a boil, only whisk every so often and watch closely until it reaches brown, amber-color (~8-12 minutes). Once reaching desired color, immediately add butter and whisk until melted and then immediately remove from heat.
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Slowly and carefully add in cream and whisk to combine until evenly combined.
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Add extract and salt, to taste.
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Transfer caramel to glass or heat-safe container until cooled. Once completely cool, store covered in refrigerator (sauce will thicken while cooling and refrigerating).
Recipe Notes
Serving size: 2 tablespoons (Total recipe makes about 16 servings or 2 cups)
Protein 0.38g, Cals 102, Fat 11.13g, Carbs 0.47g, Fiber 0.00g — NET CARBS: 0.47g
YEA this recipe makes me happy!
I am making a low carb sundae this weekend! 🙂
Sounds delicious 🙂 hope you enjoy it!
Would this get solid enough to cut into squares or does it stay liquid like a caramel sauce?
I don’t believe it would as is but I think it could if you added some sort of thickener like xantham gum or possibly coconut flour.
Andres- in the first step, when boiling the water and erythritol.. It smoked horribly. So much so that the entire house filled with haze. I used the NOW brand erythritol. I don’t remember this happening when making traditional caramel with granulated white sugar. Please advise.
Megan, please forgive the delay in response to your question. Without being there to see what was happening, our first guess is that you were boiling the Erythritol at too high of a temperature. Next time, allow the sugar and water to come to a boil slowly over medium heat and see if that helps. If it looks like it’s browning too quickly in one spot, lift the pan off of the burner for a few seconds and gently swirl the contents of the pan, then put the pan back down on the heat.
I was looking for a no sugar caramel and found your page. I’ve just made your recipe with added vitafiber powder and it was delicious!! I am quite impress with the taste.
It’s really great to hear you enjoyed the sugar free caramel recipe, Luisa. 🙂
Could full-fat canned coconut milk be used instead of the cream?
I’m not sure because I haven’t tried it yet. But feel free to give it a try and report back, I’d love to know!
Can’t wait to try this! If I use xylitol will it be grainy when cooled? I want to pour it over a cheesecake. Thanks
Jo, artificial sweeteners can react differently when cooked. Our recommendation is to use Erythritol. If you’re unable to use it, we can’t guarantee that you’ll have good results with the caramel, but we hope that you do!
How long does this last when kept in the fridge? With heavy cream I know it has to be used within 7 days of opening so I’m wondering if it’s the same for this sauce? Thanks for this great recipe!
Hi Kathy. We apologize for the delay in responding. Your question went to our spam folder. The caramel should keep in the refrigerator for 7-10 days.
Great to see and try some of your recipes. Well done! I agree,get into the kitchen,give it a try,and share your successes and failures. Love your work ! Thanks Ina
Thank you, Ina!
Hello,
Is the water/sweetener mixture supposed to change color? I waited for 20+ minutes and it only started smoking (oops).
Yes it should darken into a light brownish caramel color. Your issue could have been caused by the brand of sweetener or temperature. Hope it works out better next time!
Hello!
I am new here 🙂 Is there another sweetener I can use? 5 carbs per teaspoon is WAY too high for my low carb diet. But I really want to make this!
Hi Kaela,
Actually, Erythritol is a low glycemic sugar substitute and as such, there are no carbs to count. It’s approved as a diabetic sugar substitute and the Atkins diet endorses it as well.
Also, if you look below the recipe, you’ll see the nutritional information that shows the net carbs to be 0.47, which is less than 1 gram.